The present invention relates to laundry detergents and laundry sheets containing laundry detergents.
Prior to the present invention, laundry detergents were dispensed into washing machines by measuring various amounts of liquid or powder detergents into cups or other measuring devices. This is inconvenient and wastes the consumer's time to have to measure out the correct amount of detergent for each load of laundry. Furthermore, when such liquid or powder detergents are measured out into cups or other measuring devices, there exists a common problem of spillage of detergents around the washing machine.
One attempt to overcome the disadvantages of measuring out detergents was the use of a detergent pouch which was held together with a water soluble adhesive. In theory, the pouch was supposed to become unglued in the wash water and release detergent chemicals into the washing machine. However, the detergent chemicals in the pouch sometimes formed clumps which would not break or solubilize to release detergent into the wash water. Also, residual detergent chemicals could remain on the clothes if the detergents in the pouch formed insoluble clumps.
Another attempt in overcoming the problems of measuring detergents from containers has been the use of tablets containing laundry detergent. These tablets have the drawback of limited solubility in the wash water due to the low surface area for solubilization.
Accordingly, there is a need for a total laundering process that will overcome these problems, and in particular, promote better solubility of detergent chemicals in the wash water and avoid depositing undissolved detergent chemicals on the washed fabrics. Further, there exists the need to provide to the consumer a way to avoid measuring out liquid and powdered laundry detergents while avoiding the solubility and clumping problems of past attempts.